When I finished my degree in English Language and Communication at Cardiff University I became somewhat disillusioned (perhaps even disheartened) with my career prospects. As my final year and the prospect of a 9-5 loomed I turned in the direction of further education. I did this for various reasons: I didn't know which was the right career for me (I still don't); I felt I could gain more from continuing my education (I still do); my passion for linguistics and communication pursued (and still does). However, after a lot of research into this arena I began to get cold feet, and so I pulled out. I did this because I have worked for private companies throughout my education, and although I have enjoyed working with interesting characters and a great team of people I have never gained any satisfaction from earning profit for a company I have no affiliation for. So I needed a new plan.
After graduating I informed Cardiff University that I wouldn't be coming back; I didn't have a clue what to do next. I'd always said that I'd do a gap year, but after three years at university, and over £20,000 debt, that option didn't exactly seem feasible. I was determined to travel though, and I already knew how I was going to make this happen: teaching English.
Through teaching English I could make a living wage, whilst exploring a completely new world. I enrolled onto the CELTA course at the Alpha and Omega College in Cardiff; partly because it was certified by the University of Cambridge and partly because it offered a lot more than many of the other courses on the market. The course - a Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults - was a one-month intensive course, where you received 6 hours teaching experience, six hours observation of teaching and a wealth of knowledge. Doesn't sound like much right? Well it's not when you think about what you're letting yourself in for. As a teacher of English to foreign language learners I'd be venturing into a potentially unknown country, with the aim of teaching English to students who have little (if any) knowledge of the English language. Bit of a scary prospect, to say the least. However, many people have taught with much less. If you do a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) you complete a 120 hour course, most of which is online, and you are qualified to teach anywhere in the world. Many schools, especially in Asia, will accept English teachers on the basis of being native speakers and nothing more. No degree, no CELTA or TEFL, no relevant qualification other than an English birth certificate. I'm not sure what's crazier: the fact you can teach with no formal qualifications, or the fact that people would feel happy to teach with no formal qualifications.
This is probably what scared me the most about teaching abroad, and I'd be lying if I said it's a fear I've gotten over. What could someone possibly be letting themselves in for if they go abroad and teach without having any formal or academic knowledge of the English language? Let alone the requirements to actually impart the knowledge as a teacher. Whilst researching I came across horror stories of people entering a classroom of 40-50 children, where no one could speak a word of English, and no one wanted to listen to the strange foreigner spouting an alien language at the head of the classroom. Fair to say, I made sure I did full and proper research on the school I would apply for, as I didn't want this to happen to me.
During my time on the CELTA course I came across tefl.com, a website where you could literally find a job in almost any school, anywhere in the world. I searched for schools in China, and eventually found the ASTON school. ASTON is a private, Western English Language teaching school, based in the US. ASTON places a Chinese teacher in the classroom with you at beginner levels in order to help overcome the initial language barrier, and it also has a maximum class size of 18 students. As with many of the schools in China the school provides free accommodation, which is shared with another English teacher, reimbursement towards flights (the amount depends on the length of the contract), free Mandarin lessons, medical insurance if you sign up for a minimum contract of 7 and a half months. They'll even collect you from the airport. Your wage depends on the amount of hours you opt for; I have chosen 23 hours per week, which involves teaching a full day on Saturday and Sunday, and then two evenings during the week. Three hours of which also includes paid office work. Overtime is paid at a rate of 100 RMB per hour (£10). This contract type brings in an earning of 6000RMB per month, which equates to 5850RMB after tax. It might not sound like a huge amount, but considering the average wage in China is a lot less than this, as a living wage it's actually pretty good. I guess I'll find out just how good when I'm there!
I completed the CELTA and got my place at the ASTON school back in October; it's now January and time has flown by surprisingly quickly. I've downloaded audio tapes to help get me started with learning Mandarin, and I begun by telling myself I'd get through all 100 odd 30 minute lessons by the time I leave. So far I'm on lesson four. Yeah that hasn't exactly gone according to plan. Still, I met some Chinese people in a pub the other day, spoke to them in Mandarin (what little I knew), and they were able to interpret everything I was trying to say. Guess that's a slight positive at least!I'm due to leave in little over a month, and right now I'm oscillating between excited and absolutely bricking it. Hopefully that'll subside once I'm there and I've settled into teaching - not to mention adjusting to what might initially seem like a backwards culture. Currently I've been working part time, going to the gym and reading as much as I can about what to expect. Thus, escaping to China is an experience I'm going to absorb with open and eager arms. Obviously I'll miss my family, my friends and most of all, my girlfriend. But this is a chance I have to grab now, without wasting it or letting it slip through my fingers...
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